In a cozy one-story home in Miami, six twin beds dressed in bright
prints stand empty. Yoga mats and art supplies are packed away in the
living room, and a tire swing in the backyard hangs still.

Until
early June, this was a refuge for six teenage girls who were victims of
sex trafficking. Run by the nonprofit Kristi House, it was the state’s
first short-term “safe house” for sexually exploited children, founded
in the wake of new, highly touted legislation that allowed victims to be
treated in specialized shelters rather than confined as if prostitutes.
When it opened April 1, many hoped it would be a model for safe houses
around the state.

Yet the shelter suspended operations just two
months later, after girls housed there repeatedly ran away. One reported
being raped while on the loose. The incidents, publicized in a June
grand jury report, have prompted child welfare administrators and
legislators to consider whether child sex trafficking victims should be
locked up for their own good, at least temporarily. Advocates say this
would be a step backward in helping children who fall prey to the sex
trade.

The victim, a girl in her early teens under the care of the Department
of Children & Families, reported being sexually assaulted after
running away from the shelter 10 days after it opened, according to the
child welfare agency. She was trying to return to the safe house, and an
older man refused to drive her there unless she had sex with him, said
Kristi House Executive Director Trudy Novicki. Shelter therapist Tabitha
Gallerani reported the rape, which she said took place “very far” from
the safe house. More from Katia Savchuk here.